January 16, 2023
The 2022 TASAI Kenya Country Report summarizes the findings of the TASAI study conducted in Kenya in 2021 by the TASAI team and a local seed industry expert. The results highlight some positive developments since the last TASAI study in 2020. Kenya’s seed ecosystem has supported an evolving, private-led seed sector. However, the prevailing agroeconomic and consumer needs in the country suggest that more targeted efforts could ensure long term growth.
In terms of research development within Kenya’s seed sector, seed production has increased sharply over the last few years – by about 20% for maize seed, and more than 3-fold for bean and sorghum seed. The number of varieties released in Kenya decreased from 106 (2016 to 2018) to 41 (2019 and 2021), and many existing varieties are old or unsuitable for Kenya’s formal seed system. Under industry competetiveness, the study found that a large share of the country’s seed market is dominated by a few larger players. In particular, government parastatals control of seed markets continued to decline (down to 55% and 50% of the maize and cowpea seed markets in 2021, respectively). Results from the country study found that small companies are not expanding due to limited capital and a lack of infrastructure for seed production.
Like the other TASAI study categories, Kenya’s seed policy environment has room for improvement. The industry’s level of satisfaction with seed regulation enforcement has declined from “excellent” in 2019 to “good” in 2021. When asked about the reasons, some respondents mentioned the delayed implementation of the COMESA seed labels for seed imports and exports. Others complained about the stringent enforcement of rules by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) to control the spears of maize lethal necrosis disease. Depending on the perspective, this may be viewed as a positive development.
Despite the challenges, the Seed Trade Association of Kenya (STAK) has maintained a steadily good performance over the years. As one of the main cogs of institutional support, STAK has been actively involved in key aspects of the seed sector. Moreover, in the area of inspection, the number of private inspectors has grown from 12 in 2017 to 33 in 2021. On the other hand, the number of public inspectors employed by KEPHIS has declined due to retirements and a lack of funds for replacing those that left the service. This is partly reflected in the decline in the satisfaction ratings by seed companies. Under service to smallholder farmers, the number of extension agents employed by private seed companies rose from 190 in 2019 to 365 in 2021. In addition, the 2022 extension policy is also expected to address gaps in the provision of extension services through initiatives such as the Village Based Advisors promoted by AGRA. Finally, even though the number of agro-dealers stagnated in 2021, the satisfaction rating of the seed industry with the agro-dealer network was “excellent’. This was an improvement from the “good” rating in 2019 and shows improvements in Kenya’s agro-dealer networks’ effectiveness.
The report was published following a successful dissemination meeting in Nairobi, Kenya on November 10, 2022, where findings were validated and discussed by members of Kenya’s public and private seed sectors.
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